Welcome to the December 2025 BGS newsletter.
Events on in December at a glance
Friday, 5th December 6 – 9pm Bream Sports Club Bream Village Christmas Lights Switch-On
Tuesday, 9th December 7.30 – 10pm St. James’ Church Centre, Bream Christmas Bring & Share Supper and Film Premiere!
Thursday, 25th December All day Everywhere Definitely something happening – cannot remember what…
Jane’s Jottings Gardening tips for December
Leaves, those wonderful, multi-hued delights of autumn and so very useful too. Do rake them off your lawn, leaving a few to feed the worms but don’t throw away the rest. You can leave them on your borders, making sure you’ve uncovered any low-growing plants, to be taken down by the worms. They make great soil improvers and will still be a moisture retaining covering for next summer.
If you have loads then you can make a cage out of chicken wire and store them in there or pierce holes in the bottom of old plastic bags and fill them, making sure the leaves are damp and tuck them in a corner. Both methods will give you wonderful leaf mould in a year or two, great for making a seed sowing mix. You could just pile the leaves up in a corner for hedgehogs and other garden visitors to over-winter in. If all else fails, stick an offer in the newsletter and one of us might come and get them!
Oh and:
If you’ve any seeds left out there you can dry them off and bag them up for seed swapping and any useful seedlings that are in the wrong place can be potted up for the plant stall.
If you need to prune a hedge or tree do it soon before the birds start nesting.
There’s still time to sow a broad bean or two and some sweet peas to get a head start in the spring.
Jane
What’s going on in December?
Bream Village Christmas Lights Switch-On
Craft stalls, Bream Silver Band, Story Time with Santa, BBQ from Forest Hog Roast, mulled wine, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and mince pies.
BGS will be having a stall at this event selling craft, apple juice etc.
Come along and support this village event.
BGS Christmas Bring and Share Supper
Our annual bring & share supper and festive get together.
Please bring any food or drink suitable for sharing on the buffet. If possible, please let us know what you will be bringing along using this link:
Christmas Bring & Share – Sign-up form 2025
If you follow the link, you can see what has been promised and perhaps bring things which are currently under represented.
Don’t worry if you are unable to contribute, there is always plenty to go around – your company is all that is required.
On the other hand, please remember that most people do bring something, and so only bring along as much as you could eat on your own! Also, please take home anything which you brought but wasn’t all eaten, to save the clearing up squad having to deal with a food mountain.
There will be a showing of the professional film made about our 160th anniversary show. Be one of the first to see it (something to boast to your grandchildren about).
Kathryn will produce a BGS Christmas Quiz and other garden-themed fun. No more difficult than a combination of Only Connect and University Challenge – honest!
There will be a prize for the most festively dressed guest.
There will be stalls selling:
• Christmas gift produced by BGS Textile Craft Groups;
• BGS Apple juice;
• BGS branded clothes – bags, aprons, polo shirts, caps etc.
BGS news
BGS calendar
We are planning to produce a BGS calendar for sale next Christmas (2026). We want to feature members’ photographs and need to start collecting them now and throughout the year. Sandra, the photography judge we use for our shows, has agreed to select the 13 best submitted (12 months and a cover) to be included. The general theme is, of course, BGS activities, gardening and/ or nature throughout the year.
Would anyone who would like their photographs to be featured, please submit photographs representing Autumn (Sept-Nov) to secretarybgs100@gmail.com. We’ll be asking for submissions throughout the year to represent current seasons so in January & February we’ll be asking for winter scenes.
Thank you.
Tender Shoots
I hope many of you watched the excellent talk given by Dr. Janine Griffiths-Lee on ‘Habitat management for pollinators’ over Zoom on 25 November. We have a reasonable turn out to watch it on the big screen in the Sports Club.
If you missed it, it is available through the Tender Shoots members’ page using the password ‘spud’ to log in. Members Login – Tender Shoots Garden Club Network
Through our affiliation to Tender Shoots, members have access to some excellent online content and seed discounts. The committee is interested to discover how many members make use of this, and whether it is something they value.
We would welcome member’s feedback on this – please email your thoughts to secretarybgs100@gmail.com.
Discounted peat-free compost for members
We will be offering Coco & Coir’s All Purpose Compost to members again this year.
All Purpose Compost – 75L | Coco & Coir.
Recommended by Which? as a ‘Best Buy & Great Value’ for both sowing seeds and raising young plants. It out-performed both peat-free and traditional peat-based composts in Which’s trials.
We are offering it both with added fertiliser and (for those who prefer it) without.
Please follow this link Peat-free Compost – Order form 2026 to place your orders. We are offering it at a discount of approximately 25% on the list price.
Snowdrops ‘in the green’
As in previous years Jane Carr will be arranging to buy bulk orders of Galanthus nivalis, single snowdrops. They will be available to order from mid December onwards.
Obtained from eurobulbs.co.uk ~ you’re also welcome to have a look on their website and see if there are any other bulbs you’d like to add to the order.
The price last year worked out at £11 for 100 bulbs. It may have gone up again this year, but she won’t know until they’re on the site.
Let her know what you’d like to order by email to jane@janemcarr.co.uk.
She will bring an order form to the Bring & Share next Tuesday as well.
Member’s Sales and Wants
For sale
1) Cold frame
This cold frame is made from heavy galvanised steel (they don’t make ’em like this any more!) measures 4ft wide x 2ft 6″ deep, 19″ high at the back and 15″ at the front. The top just lifts off. The glass at the sides has gone, and one pane on the top, but they are easily replaced (secured with putty) or could be replaced with clear plastic. £50 Buyer collects. Email lauravale@phonecoop.coop or phone 07771 600274.
2) Surplus BGS equipment
Please make offers for either of these items by email to Secretarybgs100@gmail.com. Best offer received before the end of December gets them.
2.1) Ground cover fabric – various widths and lengths
Secondhand, but clean and in good condition – until a couple of years ago it was used as tableclothing on the show benches at BGS shows.
GroundTex-style woven fabric.
Heavy duty – suitable as a weed control membrane or below ground as a stabilising and separating membrane under gravel driveways, paths and decks.
2.2) Knauf insulation – new, still in packaging
1 roll of Knauf LR44. Loft Roll 44 – Glass Mineral Wool | Knauf Insulation Glass mineral wool with Ecose plant-based binder
Designed for insulating cold pitched roofs at ceiling level. Non-combustible – Euroclass A1.
Thickness: 100mm. Length x width: 12.18 x 1.14 m. Area per pack:13.89 m2.
Thermal conductivity: 0.044 W/mK. Thermal resistance: 2.25 m2K/W.
(Costs £60 per roll new from Travis Perkins)